Catch



June 29, 1943.

E BoRcHERs CATCH Filed Jan. 5l, 1941 mil/111471). A

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/orizteys Patented June 29, 1943 CATCH Earl Borchers, Rockford, Ill., assigner to American Cabinet Hardware Corporation, Rockford, Illinois, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 31, 1941, Serial No. 376,796

Claims.

The invention relates generally to catches and more particularly to a catch for the door of a cabinet or cupboard.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel catch which acts smoothly and easily when manually released or when the door is pushed closed, and which, when engaged, firmly holds the door closed so that it will not be accidentally released.

It is also an object to provide a novel catch of simple and inexpensive construction having a pin extending through the door and adapted to be pulled to release the catch.

Another object is to provide a novel catch hav ing a bolt which is adapted to extend well over a strike plate in order to hold the door firmly closed, but which is provided with a pair of actuating members constituting the sole means for operating the bolt so that the latter is easily moved to its retracted or released position when desired.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: l

Figure l is a vertical section through a door of a cabinet on which is mounted a catch-embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing the bolt in strike engaging position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the bolt in retracted position.

Fig. 4 is a View showing the parts of the catch disassembled.

A catch of the character described herein is adapted to be mounted on the inside of a door of a cabinet or the like and has a manually operable member extending through the door to the outer face thereof and connected to a suitable type of handle. As shown in the drawing for purposes of illustration, the cabinet comprises a door lll fitted withina frame Il. On the edge of the frame is mounted a strike I2 comprising, in the present instance, a strip of metal bent to a right angle and secured to the edge of the frame as by a screw I3.

A catch embodying the features of the invention is of the type in which the manually operated member extending through the door is adapted to be pulled to retract the bolt. The catch is so constructed that the bolt has a long range of movement so that the bolt may extend well'over the catch and thus rmly hold the door closed. In order to obtain such range of movement for the bolt without making it diliicult to retract the bolt in pushing the door closed, the catch is provided with a pair of pivoted actuators one of which is operated by the manual member, while the other actuator is adapted to engage the strike when the door is pushed closed, and thus make the catch easy in its action. The bolt is normally held in its 4extended position by spring means acting in this instance on the second mentioned actuator.

As shown in the drawing, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a base plate 20 adapted to be seated against the rear face of the door adjacent the opening edge thereof. Mounted cn the base plate 20 is a casing, indicated generally at 2l. The casing is formed of a sheet of metal bent to provide side walls 22 and a top wall 23. Extending from the lower part of the base Walls are a pair of ears 24 shaped to conform to the shape of the base 20 and apertured as at 25 to receive a flange 26 drawn up from the base plate and riveted over the marginal portion around the aperture 25. The casing and the base plate are thus secured together and holes are provided for screws 21 by which the catch may be secured to the rear face of the door. The top wall 23 of the casing is provided with an exten- Sion bent downwardly between the side walls 22 to provide a front wall 3l) and a second extension bent downwardly between the side walls to provide a rear wall 3|.

Slidably mounted in the casing is a bolt, indicated generally at 32. The bolt preferably comprises a ilat strip of metal of a length sufficient to extend beyond the casing at both ends and having its forward or strike engaging end reversely bent at an angle, as at 33, and thence rearwardly bent in spaced relation to the bolt proper, as at 34.' Theportion 34 is provided with a rearwardly extending tongue 35. Thus the front end of the bolt may extend well over the strike l2, as illustrated in Fig'. 2, in order to rmly hold the door closed. The rear end of the bolt is provided with a pair of laterally ex-` tending ears 36 adapted to engage the rear of the casing in order to limit the extended position of the bolt.

As mentioned above, two actuators, are provided for the bolt, which actuators constitute the sole means for moving the bolt. These actuators are mounted respectively in the front and rear portions of the casing. 'I'he actuator mounted in the iront of the casing, which actuator is here indicated generally at 45, is adapted to engage the strike before the bolt may do so, upon closing the door, and thereby cause the bolt to be retracted. In order to provide the catch with an easy action, the actuator 40 is pivotally supported in the front corner of the casing by a pivot pin 4l extending through the two side walls 22 of the casing. The actuator 43 in its preferred form is made of sheet metal and comprises aA pair of spaced portions 42 straddling the bolt and having curved edges 43 adapted to engage and have an easy cam action with the strike i2. Each of these spaced portions 42 is provided with an arcuate edge in which one or more gear teeth 44 are cut. The gear teeth 44 engage in slots 45 cut in the respective side edges of the bolt. Thus the actuator 4E! and the bolt 32 are engaged in the manner of a rack and pinion so that upon pivotal movement of the actuator 4B the bolt will be moved to and from its retracted position. l

Connecting the spaced portions 42 of the actuator is a central web 50V having an aperture through which the tongue 35 on the bolt is adapted to extend when the bolt is in its retracted position. The `actuator is also spring operated :and to this end a torsion spring 52 is wrapped around the pivot pin 4I and has one end engaging the underside of the top wall 23 of lthe casing and the other end bearing against the upper edge of the web of the actuator. Thus the actuator 40 is automatically operated, since it is moved either by engagement by the strike or by the spring 52, or by the bolt itself when the latter is manually operated.

The second actuator for the bolt, indicated generally at 53, is adapted to be manually operated by a pin 54 extending through an aperture 55 in the door. 'I'he second actuator 53 comprises a main or downwardly extending portion 56 adapted to engage the bolt and to be pivotally supported by a pivot pin 51 located in the rear corner of the casing. Extending forwardly from the portion 56 is a curved hook 6D engaged through an eye 6l formed on the end of the pin 54. The pin lies between the two actuators and extends through an elongated central slot 52 punched in the bolt 32. The portion 55 is provided with a tooth or lug 63 engaged in the rear end of the slot 62.

The two actuators, while being pivotally mounted within the casing, extend therefrom in their movement and to this end the casing is slotted. 'Ihus to accommodate the movement of the actuator 453, the front wall 30 is spaced from the two side walls 22 to provide slots; 64 through which the two portions 42 of the actuator may move. The rear wall 3l is provided with a central slot through which the rear or second actuator 53 may move.

In order to limit the inward or retracted position of the bolt, the curved hook 6i) of the second actuator 53 is so shaped as to move down and provide an abutment for the tongue 35 on the bolt when the latter is retracted, as shown in Fig. 3. To make the bolt readily slidable without any great friction, the base 20 is provided with pairs of lugs 65 formed therein and having sliding contact with the bolt. As mentioned above, when the bolt is manually retracted, such action occurs by virtue of a pull on the pin 54. In order to guide the movement of the rpin, the base 20 on the rear face of the door is apertured and flanged as at lll to provide a sliding support for the pin. A

CTI

While any type of handle may be mounted on the outer face of the door to operate the pin, I have shown for purposes of illustration a handle comprising a fixed pull having a base portion 7l. The latter is preferably provided with a pair of spaced threaded holes arranged so that the pull 10 may be secured to the door by the same screws 21 which are utilized to secure the catch thereto. The base 'Il is also preferably provided with guiding means 12 for the pin 54. Within the pull Il] is mounted movable means for exerting a pull on the pin 54. In the present instance such means is illustrated as comprising -a pivoted bar T3 shaped to conform to the pull I0 in a general way but projecting partially therefrom and having an end portion 14 secured to the end of the pin 54. Thus when one grasps the pull 10 and squeezes the bar 13, the pin 54 is pulled toward the front of the door, thus swinging the actuator 53 to retract the bolt.

In operation, assuming that the door is closed and the bolt in the position shown in Fig. 2, the operator releases the catch by actuating the bar T3 as above described to exert a pull on the pin 54. Such pull swings the second actuator 53 to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the bolt is retracted by virtue of the fact that the tooth 63 on the actuator engaging the bolt in the slot 62 forces the bolt to its retracted position. The door may then be swung open.

On closing the door it is unnecessary to operate the bar 73 in order to retract the bolt since the cam surfaces 43 of the first actuator 40 engages the strike and is caused to swing thereby to retract the bolt. The relatively great length of the cam surface 43 and the steep angle thereof makes such action smooth and does not require any great force. Thus the bolt will be retracted so that it may pass the strike. However, on passing the strike, the torsion spring 52 immediately causes the actuator 4i) to swing the bolt to its extended position. Such action by the spring in extending the bolt also causes the second actuator 53 and the pin 54 to assume the positions shown in Fig. 2.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a novel catch which acts smoothly and easily when manually released, or when the door is pushed closed, and which, when engaged, firmly holds the door closed. The bolt has a wide range of movement but because of the actuators therefor it is easily moved to its retracted position either when manually operated or when operated by a strike in pushing the door closed. The catch is of simple and inexpensive construction and is adapted for use with any type of handle operator arranged to exert a pull on the pin 54.

I claim as my invention:

l. A catch of the character described comprising, in combination, a slidably mounted bolt, a spring-operated pivotally-mounted actuator for the bolt adapted to engage a strike to retract the bolt when the door is closed, a second actuator having a portion engaging the bolt and a second portion projecting between the two actuators, and a manually operated pin extending between the two actuators and engaging said second portion to manually retract the bolt.

2. A catch of the character described comprising, in combination, a bolt comprising a flat strip having a reversely bent portion with a tongue on the end of said portion, a pivotally mounted actuator comprising a pair of spaced portions straddling the reversely bent portion of the bolt and engaging the side edges of the bolt, said spaced portions being connected by a web portion provided with an aperture through which said tongue extends when the bolt is retracted, a second actuator for said bolt having a hook portion extending toward the rst actuator, and manually operable means engaging said hook, said tongue and said hook moving into abutment when the bolt is retracted to limit the movement of the bolt.

3. A catch of the character described comprising, in combination, a bolt provided with an elongated slot intermediate its ends, an actuator engaging the front end of said bolt, a second actuator having a portion engaged in the rear end of said slot, and a manually operable pin connected to said second actuator and extending through said slot.

4. A catch of the character described comprising, in combination, a sheet-metal casing comprising a pair of spaced side walls connected by an integral top wall, portions of said top wall being bent inwardly to lie between said side Walls and provide end Walls for the casing, a bolt slidably mounted in said casing and adapted to project therebeyond at each end under the end walls of the casing, a sheet-metal actuator mounted in the front end of said casing comprising a pair of spaced members, the front end Wall of said casing being spaced from the side walls thereof to provide a pair of slots through which said spaced portions of the actuator extend edgewise, and a second sheet-metal actuator mounted in the rear part of said casing, the rear end Wall of the casing having a central slot through which said second actuator extends edgewise.

5. A catch of the character described adapted to cooperate With a strike comprising, in combination, a generally rectangular casing, a bolt slidably mounted in the casing along one side thereof, and a pair of actuators engaging said bolt for moving said bolt and being pivotally mounted in the corners of said casing opposite said one side, manually operable means for operating one actuator for retracting said bolt, and

- spring means engaging said other actuator for projecting the same into position to engage said strike, the other actuator projecting from said casing for operation by the strike and meshing with the bolt in such manner as to move the bolt when said actuator engages said strike.

EARL BORCHERS. 

